We reach the top floor in what feels like record time, and then the strap around my neck tightens again as he drags me to Kolya’s office. It’s empty, and with a kick to the back of my knees, Blondie sends me to the floor. The tablet slides free from my bag, but the woven black strap is still tight around my neck. “Do not move,” he orders me and presses his boot to my back, pinning me to the floor. My hands are trapped under my body, I can barely breathe, but the tablet flickers to life as Blondie reaches for something on the desk, and the fire alarm finally falls blessedly silent.
Da | Net | Otemy
Yes | No | Cancel
The password cracker finished. If I can tap yes, I can bring the whole system down.
I force my body to go slack. If Blondie doesn’t think I’m a threat, maybe he’ll take his foot off my back. No longer fighting the tears that threaten to consume me, I sob quietly as the crackle of a walkie-talkie pierces the air.
“Boss. I have the girl. The redhead. Zion’s bitch sister. We are in your office.”
“Khorosho.”Kolya’s voice—full of self-satisfaction—sends a chill down my spine. “I think she will watch the big man die.”
Ryker. Oh God. He has Ry.
“If I am not there in five minutes, kill her.”
“Da.” Blondie’s foot lifts off my spine, and he kneels down so his lips are close to my ear. “Anything happens to boss, we have a little fun before I snap your neck.”
I cry harder and curl into a ball. My tears are real. Panic’s cruel fingers snake around my heart, digging in, squeezing so hard, I’m terrified I won’t be able to breathe—let alone move—much longer.
Just…hold it together…another…five…minutes.
Sneaking a glance at Blondie, leaning against the desk with his gun in his hand, I inch my fingers forward. The tablet is half hidden by my bag, and I manage to touch the edge just as the office door opens.
“Wren!” Ryker’s voice cracks, and Kolya slams the pistol against his head, driving him to his knees.
“Secure his hands,” Kolya barks at Blondie, his gun pressed to Ryker’s temple. Blood streams from Ryker’s eyebrow, and…oh God…drips down his left arm.
As Blondie crosses between us, I slide the tablet closer. I just need to see the screen for a second…long enough to touch the right answer.Yes. If I’m not careful, I’ll hit no or cancel and then…my life, Ryker’s life…they’ll end right here. On plush carpet, surrounded by lavish walls and eighteenth century antique furniture.
“I’m so…sorry…” I gasp as I hold Ry’s gaze. True fear swims in the varied colors of his eyes. “I had to…try…”
“Wren, baby. Don’t look. Close your eyes.” With both Blondie and Kolya pointing guns at his head, he knows he doesn’t have a chance. “Hold on…to something real. Us. We were real. I love you. Always. You saved me.”
Kolya cocks his gun. “Say goodbye, sweet Red.”
“You fucking bastard!” I scream, and my outburst startles everyone. Rearing up, I pray I don’t miss as my finger comes down on the button that just might save our lives.
With a single beep from the tablet, all the lights go out.
45
Ryker
Isee the tablet a second before the lights go out, and I barrel roll into Blondie, sending him crumpling over me. With my hands bound, I have little leverage, but I grab his black jacket and try to throw him in Kolya’s general direction. But the henchman lands just short, and Kolya sidesteps him with ease, springing for Wren.
“Move!” I yell, and in the diffuse glow from French doors, I see Wren try to scramble up. And then Kolya reaches her side, twisting the strap of her bag around her neck and hauling her up against him. “Let her go, fuckwad.”
He aims his gun at my head, Wren gasping for breath as she claws at the thick nylon choking her. “You lose, big man. She is mine.”
“Not…yours,” she wheezes and jerks, slamming her bound hands into Kolya’s crotch. The Russian yelps and doubles over, and Wren’s elbow connects with his nose. He jerks the strap around her neck, and her helpless choking sends pure rage flooding through my veins. With a roar, I yank my arms as hard as I can, the plastic digging into my skin, more blood slicking my hands until the zip tie snaps in two.
Behind me, Blondie staggers to his feet, but I have eyes only for Kolya. He’ll die for hurting her. Tucking and rolling, I wrap my legs around his ankles and pull. A hoarse cry escapes Wren’s lips, and then all hell breaks loose.
A door slams. Something crashes into my temple—the butt of Kolya’s gun, I think—and I see stars. No. That’s muzzle flare. Shouts in Russian don’t make any sense, and then Kolya’s under me, his fingers digging into the bullet wound in my shoulder as I wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze. He chokes, desperately clawing at my fingers, his eyes bulging. Lifting him two inches off the ground, I slam him back down again, his head landing with a satisfying—and sickening—crack.
“Ry!”
